It seems lineup changes are the thing this summer and we have another one for The Dice. At their show earlier this month, vocalist MISS was conspicuously absent. It has since been announced that he has officially left the group effective immediately. The band will continue until August 21 with a support vocalist, after which they will take an activity pause.

Zonbi will also be seeing a vocalist change. Vocalist atom has left the group as of June 13 and the group have been touring with a mysterious support vocalist known only as Kansensha no K-san (Infected K-san). On June 23, K-san was officially added to the lineup, though his true identity will remain secret until their live on August 1 at Ikebukuro EDGE. I’m intrigued. Are you?

SAKURA announced at their one-man on June 18 that they will also be losing members. Guitarist Chihiro and Drummer Takahiro will depart after their performance on August 10. It seems the pair had a different idea about where the band should go and just couldn’t continue with the group as it was. SAKURA seems to be taking it in stride, though, announcing their first anniversary one-man at Tokyo’s International Forum Hall C, a 1500+ capacity venue.

And, another for the injured list. Kuroyuri to Kage bassist, K, will be out of commission while seeking treatment for an eye infection. It seems the infection is bad enough that it could cause blindness if not treated. The band will continue performing as scheduled. In the meantime, CLEAN YOUR CONTACTS! ^^

Now, for some better news. Last week, we reported on HOLLOWGRAM vocalist Ryo being injured in a car accident. It seems his surgery went smoothly and he is expected to return to the stage as scheduled. Depending on his recovery, some of the performances may be done differently to compensate for his injuries, but I’m sure he’ll be back to 100% in no time.

Gonna be in LA this weekend? Make sure to hit up Anime Expo and check out Dir en grey drummer Shinya as he graces the catwalk for h.NAOTO. He will also be participating in a Q&A session with the designer. The convention takes place July 2-5 and tickets are currently $80 for all four days, but go up on July 1. Neo-traditional band WAGGAKI Band will also be performing, so this is an event not to be missed.

Hold onto your panties, ladies. I have the mother of all New Band Alerts for you. Brought to my attention just this morning, Buck Tick vocalist, Sakurai Atsushi, has announced the beginning of a solo project called The Mortal. Sounds like he’s trying to convince us he’s NOT a vampire. There’s not a lot of information on the project as of yet, but they already have a handful of lives planned for November. Personally, I am squeal-my-head-off excited for this one, so I’ll be watching it closely. And, as far as the whole vampire thing goes, I remain skeptical. ^^